23 Nov 2009 :: To Arizona
It is regular tradition in the Strong Family to lay aside an inordinately long period of time to see each other, in which we greet each other with smiling faces, catch up, play card games, act indecisively and shift to passive-aggressive after two days to outright arguments by the third. Usually this is about halfway through the vacation.
This year, we all flocked in from our various settlements across the United States to meet in Tucson, AZ, which means flying and I hate flying. Well, alone I love to fly, it means an MP3 player and a good book, snoring next to strangers and waiting for that elusive, and still not found, attractive stewardess. My chances of finding her increase as I get older.
I hate flying with family, but this is not necessarily the fault of family. My dad, a skilled and educated dental surgeon has trouble getting through security. Every time. He forgets things, has too many things and confounds the other things. There is one general rule for security; if you are one step up from indecent exposure, you are doing it right.
It is a good rule that no one knows. No, you cannot walk through with keys. Or your jacket, or your shoes. Maybe your belt with the bucking metal horse soldered to an aluminum place setting wasn't the best choice. Socks, shirt, pants and underwear. Everything else goes.
Usually my mother is on her A game here. This trip she realized that brown teeth, physical addiction and increasing her chances of landing osteoporosis were ok as long as she got her caffeine hit every morning plus regular usage throughout the day. In her advancing years, Folgers isn't quite cutting it, so she had an espresso machine in her carry on nestled next to her favorite blend which made the surprised woman working the x-ray (or whatever) quite certain my mother was smuggling atomics.
I waited, dully, as my mother's bag was thoroughly searched and my dad finally made it through security. My mother, when she finally joined up with us, looked back at the line and where security personnel had repacked her carry on poorly and remarked that she is normally against profiling, "But..."
Hiccups and incidents later we are here, mostly whole and quite fascinated by mid-hill villa that features a bathroom of the eternal pee. More to come. |
